Romney Doubles Down on Right Wing Agenda for the Mega-Rich

National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel released the following statement reacting to Gov. Mitt Romney’s selection of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his vice presidential running mate.

“For weeks, there’s been speculation about who Mitt Romney would choose to be his running mate and what it would mean. And now we have our answer. By selecting Ryan, Romney has doubled down on his view that opportunity is only for those who can afford it or are willing to game the system. He's shown yet again that he is more willing to help the rich get richer than ensuring middle class families get ahead.

“Ryan’s position on fundamental education issues like funding for early childhood education and efforts to keep class sizes small doesn't speak to ensuring that every child in this country gets a quality education, it continues Romney’s misguided and out of touch mentality that class size doesn’t matter and children should get as much education as they can ‘afford’. Elections are about choices, and Romney’s selection of Ryan indicates that once again he chose the corporate fat cats and Wall Street barons over students, teachers, bus drivers, nurses and secretaries. The three million members of NEA know you can’t put Americans back to work by cutting jobs, educate our kids by laying off teachers, or level the playing field for small businesses by rigging it in favor of big corporations.

"Ryan was the architect of the budget plan that would have gutted Medicare and converted it to a voucher program. Ryan and Romney have shown over and over again that they are more willing to run up trillion dollar deficits to help the rich get richer while undercutting opportunity for middle class families.

“These are the positions and policies of Mitt Romney. And so NEA members know enough to know that a Romney-Ryan administration is bad for our students, families and the wrong direction for America.”

Listen to NEA President Dennis Van Roekel talk about what the Romney-Ryan presidential ticket means to public education and the middle class. Click here.

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The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.

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